What's it like to be president of the most powerful union in the country?

James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, talks about his personal feelings about his role in the union and the loss of his father, Jimmy Hoffa.

By Mary Young

Reading Eagle

Berks County, PA -

The Reading Eagle asked James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, for his personal feelings about his role in the union and the loss of his father, Jimmy Hoffa.

Jimmy Hoffa went missing on July 30, 1975. His body has not been found, and the circumstances of his death are unknown.

He had been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for jury tampering, pension fund fraud and conspiracy but refused to resign as Teamsters president.

Then-President Nixon commuted his sentence on the condition he resign as president and refrain from union activities until 1980.

Jimmy Hoffa fought the ban in court and worked behind the scenes to un-seat his successor, Frank Fitzsimmons.

Hoffa was last seen at a restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with two men believed to be mobsters.

What is it like to be the leader of the most powerful labor union in the country?

“It’s the greatest job in the world. I worked very hard to get this job. We have completely turned this union around. It wasn’t me. We happen to have a great board and a great organization. People know the Teamsters are powerful.”Do you have a theory about what happened to your father?

“With regard to him coming back, he was pushing very hard. They anticipated he would win his court case. He was a threat to Fitzsimmons.”

Do you ever give up hope that your father’s body will be found and that the facts of his death will be revealed?

“It’s been 33 years. My hope diminishes every day as the years go on. I do have great memories of him. I have a picture of him in my office. He’s very revered in the union. It was the most traumatic thing. It was very tough.”

How has what happened to your father affected your life and your work?

“You really have to carry on. In some ways being head of the Teamsters is carrying on his work. It’s such a disturbing part of my life, I don’t think about it.”